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Show SENATE APPROVES BUILDINIGPROGRAM PAS8ES MEASURE APPROPRIAT ING $315,826843 FOR ADDITIONS ADDI-TIONS TO THE NAVY. Would Provide for Building Foui Dreadnaughts, Four Great aBttle Cruisers and Fifty-eight Other Warships in 1917. Washington. The naval appropriation appropria-tion bill, with a three-year building program, including the immediate construction con-struction of four dreadnaughts, four great battle cruisers and fifty-eight other craft passed the senate on July 21 by a vote of 71 to 8. It carries $315,826,843, or $45,857,-588 $45,857,-588 more than the total as the measure meas-ure passed the house. Many proposals to curtail the enormous enor-mous building increases written into the measure by the senate naval committee com-mittee were defeated overwhelmingly, and as soon as final passage was announced an-nounced the senate voted to insist on its amendments and send the bill ai once to conference. The house is expected ex-pected to insist upon its building program, pro-gram, and a long struggle is in pros pect before an agreement is reached. Two Democrats, Senators Thomas and Vardaman, and six Republicans, Senators Clapp, Curtis, Gronna, La Follette, Norris and Works, voted against the bill, which has had the support of leaders of both parties during dur-ing the week of debate that preceded passage. Construction of 157 vessels, including includ-ing sixteen capital ships, within three years at an estimated cost of $588,-180,576, $588,-180,576, is contemplated in the senate progarm, the largest ever proposed to congress. Of the total appropriations in the bill, $110,726,160 is for the first year's building expenditures. As it passed the house, the measure made no provision for a continuing building program and authorized only seventy-two ships, including five battel bat-tel cruisers and no dreadnaughts. |
